I live in Albany, Auckland NZ
I am a baker/pastry chef that has found myself teaching, inventing and helping to develop new product ranges in my industry.
I have been “baking and caking” since I started my apprenticeship at 15 years old.
So that’s 32 years of cream puffs, cup cakes and croissants.
A life time ago in the early 90’s, I worked in a supermarket bakery….. no names!
I took old French sticks and turned them into garlic bread, I took his ratio flour and high ratio fats and turned out slab cakes for the masses. And I balanced grated cheese on, over proved bread roll, battling my OCD as it inevitably fell off before wheeling the racks into the enormous mouth of the oven.
I was part of a beige team producing equally beige food to appease the machine.
I think the most glamorous confection we produced was a hot cross bun.
Now I shop daily, I buy fruit, veg and meat depending on how many kids turn up for dinner.
I shop at the same supermarket everyday.
For the last 3 months I have walked passed the bakery department and found myself drawn to their cake cabinet.
A sea of colour and perfectly piped rosettes, macaron and Gâteaux.
I finally plucked up the courage to take a pic in front on the bakery team to share with you all.
Camera out, negotiating my frozen peas under one arm. And my 2 heads of broccoli under the other.
I took this snap.
Huge shout out to the team at New World Albany and the fantastic job you do everyday.
It certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed by Mr Beige 👌🤗😜
